Matt Hamilton interviews ESPN Classics’ “IceMan” John Scully

Matt Hamilton: “Tyson vs Holyfield in 1991 – who wins; how & why?”

ICE: “With the fight going down before Tyson went away to prison I think he was a bit sharper and more focused. You can never ever count Holyfield out but I do believe that the Tyson who was fighting before 1992 was still more dangerous that the one from after that year. And Holyfield at that time in 1991 didn’t have the experience and deep confidence in himself at the weight as he did later on. I think those factors point to a Tyson victory.“

Matt Hamilton:“is the PED issue in boxing getting more prevalent or just better policed?”

ICE: “I would say a combination of both. Surely there are more boxers using now, it seems clear to me that this is so, but I am also sure that more than a few were using them ten years ago when people didn’t talk much about it. Steroids have been in sports since the 1970’s but it hasn’t been until relatively recently that the mainstream has been exposed to the idea of it. I will say this, though, I honestly believe that tons an tons of players in other sports, if not boxing, are allowed to slide through despite failing drug tests or not being tested properly. Anyone who watches football can clearly see that the high majority of these guys is using. It’s almost gotten ridiculous that very few guys ever test positive. That goes for all sports.”

Matt Hamilton:“What is your fight of the year for 2012 to this point?”

ICE: “I think the rematch between Orlando Salido and JuanMa was probably the best action fight of the year so far. The ninth round of that fight was very Hagler-Hearns like!!”

Matt Hamilton:“Can a boxer ever again be as socially relevant as Ali was in the 1960s & 70s?”

ICE: “I would have to say no. You had a man in Ali who had a level of commitment to the cause that was almost hard to believe and you also had a global situation that fit perfectly into what he was into at the time. It was like a huge puzzle and all the pieces fell into place perfectly for him to become what he did. It’s a different era now, many people think being socially conscious is speaking out against plastic as opposed to paper. The timing of Vietnam helped Ali, of course, but he just happened to be a different breed of man as well..”

Matt Hamilton:“how do you see Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV going down?”

ICE: “They’ve had three very similar fights already so I’ll go with the odds and say that this one follows those previous scripts. Maybe even a little more intense, though, because each one knows this is more than likely the last meeting between them and they’ll want to make it definitive. It might be the best of the four as a result.”

Matt Hamilton: “whats your take on the Mayweather-50 beef? Authentic, fake or just silly?”

ICE: “I honestly believe it is a side show that people are into strictly as entertainment when they stumble upon it on the internet. It has no relevance or bearing on anything whatsoever. It’s almost embarrassing that these two are even getting any type of publicity for a war on their twitter accounts. Silly and pointless doesn’t even begin to describe it.”